Michigan

Hessman called up from Toledo, Perez optioned

CHICAGO -- The Tigers called up Mike Hessman from Triple-A Toledo today, and he'll be in the lineup tonight against White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle. Timo Perez was optioned back to Toledo to make room.

Hessman hasn't played in the major leagues since 2004, when he batted .130 in 69 at-bats for the Atlanta Braves. The Tigers signed him as a minor-league free agent after the 2004 season. He wasn't very good in his first two years with the Mud Hens, but this year he was hitting .256 with 27 home runs and 86 RBIs in 97 games.

Hessman will likely play first base against left-handers. He can also play third. One reason the Tigers brought him up today is that home run hitters tend to fare well at U.S. Cellular Field.

A few e-mail answers:

Matt asked about Chris Shelton, and his future with the Tigers. Well, as you can see, they're more interested in seeing Hessman than Shelton right now. Shelton is hitting .274 at Toledo, but with just nine home runs and 101 strikeouts. He has a long way to go to prove that he belongs in the big leagues again.

Scott can't understand why the Tigers would start Virgil Vasquez again, after he pitched so poorly the first time he came up. I'm not a big Vasquez fan, but I also don't want Toledo play regularly. So I have no way of telling you which Toledo pitcher is most prepared to pitch in the big leagues right now. If they say it's Vasquez, well, pitch Vasquez. I can't tell you that Tata or Bazardo would do any better.

Mike asks about a catcher in the Mexican League, and whether he could be an answer for the Tigers. I admire your efforts in looking for a future catcher, but there's no way you're going to know by looking at a guy's Mexican League stats whether he's a big-league prospect. Teams do scout the Mexican League, though, and if the guy has a chance to play he'll probably sign with someone.